The present invention generally relates to the field of lighting systems for kitchen units. More specifically, the present invention relates to a kitchen unit provided with a task lighting system.
Differently from ambient lighting, which is lighting that is simply directed to provide an area with overall illumination, task lighting is lighting which is focused on a specific area to make the completion of visual tasks easier.
Task lighting is a type of lighting which is bright enough to prevent eye strain and is free of distracting glare and shadows. With suitable task lighting, execution of tasks within the illuminated area is greatly eased.
Task lighting may be employed in several fields for different applications.
For example, task lighting may be used in kitchens, to ensure that work spaces are well illuminated so that users are able to clearly see what they are doing, e.g., for allowing them to read recipes while cooking, or ensuring to clean counters properly. A very important application of task lighting used in kitchens relates to the illumination of the cooking hobs.
A number of different lighting systems can be used to create task lighting.
For example, lights on flexible bases or necks may be employed so that they can be manually adjusted as needed. An advantage of task lighting systems of this type is that users are able to easily modify the direction of the emitted light, allowing to focus light in different areas.
Another class of task lighting provides for task lighting systems which are directly mounted in a furniture element or in a home appliance, such as for example a light mounted under a kitchen cabinet for illuminating a kitchen counter or a light mounted under an extractor hood for illuminating a cooking hob located under the latter. Since this type of task lighting system lacks of protruding elements, it is more compact, and less prone to get dirty.
US 2004/0221839 discloses a lighting device for an extractor hood that includes a light source having at least a plurality of controlled LEDs and an extractor hood control device. The light source is connected to the control device. The light source can also include halogen and/or incandescent lamps. The control device can vary a luminous intensity of at least some of the LEDs and/or the lamps, alter a diode current of at least some of the LEDs and/or the lamps, alter a diode current of at least some of the LEDs, and/or drive a subset of the LEDs or lamps.
WO 2010/146446 discloses a lighting apparatus which comprises a head with a light source directed in a light beam and a motorized kinematic structure for spatially directing the head. An image sensor is arranged in the head and it is directed in the direction of the light beam. Electronic processing means process the images taken by the image sensor to distinguish at least one hand of a user inserted into the beam, to distinguish a gesture therein from among a predetermined series of preset gestures in the control system and control a corresponding interactive behavior of the light source. Further distance sensors and sensors for identifying the position of acoustic sources are provided for further additional interactive behaviors of the apparatus.
The Applicant has found that the task lighting systems known in the art are affected by drawbacks.
Indeed, since task lighting systems with lights installed on flexible bases or necks are provided with protruding elements, such type of adjustable lighting system occupies a non-negligible amount of space, and is more prone to get dirty, especially if installed in a kitchen environment.
Moreover, with task lighting systems directly mounted in a furniture element or in a home appliance it is more difficult to adjust the direction of the emitted light, since the light source devices are recessed inside such furniture element or in such a home appliance.
The illumination apparatus disclosed in US 2004/0221839 is configured to set the illumination level for the light source between a maximum illumination level and a state in which the illumination apparatus is switched off, but it is not configured to adjust the direction of the emitted light to focus light in different areas.
The solution disclosed in WO 2010/146446 is quite expensive and complicated, since it requires a motorized kinematic structure to orient the light source.
In view of the above, the Applicant has handled the problem of providing a task lighting system which allows to adjust the direction of the emitted light and at the same time which is neither too expensive nor too complicated.